Eight years later and Hito and Ace grow up and are seemingly friends now.

Ace and Hito are walking along a dirt path. Hito is full of energy, talking nonstop about an old temple he read about. He’s convinced it’s connected to real gods and demons.

Ace walks beside him, hands in his pockets, looking unimpressed. 'Sounds like a waste of time.'

'But what if it’s real?' Hito says. 'What if there’s actual proof inside?'

Ace sighs. 'Or it’s just a bunch of old rocks.'

Hito keeps pushing until Ace finally gives in. 'Fine. But if nothing happens, I’m gonna say 'I told you so' the whole way back.'

After hours of walking through forests and rocky hills, they finally reach the supposed location. At first, there’s nothing. Just a flat, overgrown clearing with scattered stones.

Ace crosses his arms. 'Wow. Incredible. A bunch of dirt.'

Hito frowns and starts looking around. His eyes land on a strange stone pillar, half-buried in the ground. Without hesitation, he places his hands on it. The stone is rough, covered in faded carvings. He presses against it, and suddenly, a deep click sounds.

The ground trembles. The air shifts. Then, with a deep rumbling, the earth moves. Large stone slabs begin rising from the ground, twisting into place, forming walls, pillars, an entrance. Dust and vines fall away, revealing the lost temple as if it had been sleeping beneath the surface all this time.

Ace takes a step back, watching in silence.

Hito grins. 'Told you.'

Ace sighs. 'Let’s just get this over with.'

They step inside. The air is thick and still. The temple is dark, only faint light seeping through cracks in the ceiling. The walls are covered in old carvings of gods, demons, and battles. Some of the murals look unfinished, like the story they were meant to tell was never completed.

Hito is already moving from one carving to another, studying every detail. Ace just walks, hands in his pockets, looking around without much interest.

Then Hito steps on something.

A sharp click sounds.

The floor beneath him drops.

A metal grate slides open, revealing a deep pit below, lined with spikes. Hito barely has time to react before he starts falling.

'Ace!'

Ace moves without thinking. He lunges forward, grabs Hito’s arm, and pulls. Hito swings back onto solid ground, but the force of the movement throws Ace off balance. He stumbles and lands inside what looked to be a hidden room with a large glowing circle on the floor.

The moment he enters the room, a pulse of energy rushes through the room. Strange symbols on the wall light up around him, and a giant stone device hums to life.

The air crackles, and the device starts glowing brighter and brighter until it cracks. The entire thing shatters into pieces.

Silence.

Hito, still catching his breath, stares at the broken remains. 'Uh... was that supposed to happen?'

Ace looks at the shattered device. 'How should I know? Thing looked old anyway.'

Hito squints at the scattered stone and dust. 'Maybe it was just broken.'

Ace nods. 'Yeah. Definitely broken.'

With that, he brushes himself off and starts walking. 'Come on, let’s go.'

Hito hesitates but follows.